Chana Masala (Chickpea curry)

A delicious, fragrant, spicy chickpea stew. Yes, this recipe has a long list of ingredients (mostly spices), but it's very easy and comes together in about 30 minutes. This is great right out of the pan, but gets even better the next day as leftovers after the flavors have had time to meld. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com), which, by the way, is a fantastic recipe site.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes, chopped small
2/3 cup water (you can also substitute juices from the tomatoes or liquid from the canned or cooked chickpeas for extra flavor)
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
lemon juice, optional

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spices for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the liquid you're using and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt. You can finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if you like, though I didn't and it was still delicious!

Aloo Gobhi (Potato and Cauliflower Curry)

After many failed attempts to make North Indian food, this one finally turned out brilliantly! This is courtesy of the blog "Sanjha Chulha" ("Common Oven"), at http://sanjhachulha.blogspot.com - with a few adjustments.

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces, making 2 cups of cauliflower florets
2 tbs vegetable/canola oil
1 large onion, cut into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, chopped into small pieces
potatoes, chopped into small pieces - about 2 or so cups total (I used about 8 small red ones)
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garam masala (I love MTR brand)
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 tbs butter
1 tbs peeled and finely grated ginger


1. Wash the cauliflower by swishing it around in a bowl full of cold salted water. This adds a little bit of salt before you begin frying.
2. Heat the oil in frying pan and add the onion, garlic and potatoes and fry untill the color of onions is deep yellow and its translucent (approx. 10 min.)
3. Add the cauliflower and fry till the onions are now brown (approx. 3-4 min.)
4. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and garam masala, stir and fry. (approx. 5 min)
5. Mix well.
6. Add the butter and mix, add 6-7 tbs cold water and simmer. (approx. 5-10 min. but it depends, so keep checking till the potatoes are done. if they're taking a while, cover the pan and let it hang out for a few minutes).
7. Stir in the ginger and cook for a minute or two.
8. Serve with rice or roti (flatbread - the naan you can buy at trader joe's is pretty tasty!)

Beet (or other) Greens with Caramelized Onions

Pretty much exactly how it sounds. Slightly sweet and delicious.

2 onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bundle dark leafy greens (I used beet greens, but am sure it would also work with kale or other greens), washed and cut into ribbons.
a handful of chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat a small amount of oil in a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir fairly constantly until they begin to turn golden brown (about 5-10 minutes). Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring fairly constantly, until they're very brown and smell sweet and delicious. Add the garlic; cook for about 1 minute. Add the greens and cook just until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss in walnuts if using.

Ann's (Bonnie's Mom) Famous Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a family recipe that is sure to make you the celebrity of any potluck you attend. While absolutely vegetarian, these mushrooms come out savory and "meaty" because of the walnuts and breadcrumbs. They are also quite easy, making even the most amateur cook look like a seasoned chef :)

20 white button mushrooms
3 tbs butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 shallots or 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup bread crumbs (you can make these by putting stale or toasted bread in the food processor)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tbs dry sherry (always buy Spanish sherry)
1 tbs worchestershire sauce
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, cut away tough or dark ends, and chop the stems into 1/4 inch cubes or so. Melt butter in medium skillet. Add stem pieces, onion, and garlic. Saute until starting to brown slightly. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until everything is moist and hot. Use more sherry if it's too dry. Arrange the caps open-side up in a baking pan. Mound stuffing on top of each cap. It's OK to really mountain it up above the top of the cap. Bake 15-20 mins. at 400, until the mushrooms start to give up their liquid (they will look wet and a little shrunken instead of dry and stiff).

Serve hot. Yum.

West African Groundnut Stew . . . via Moosewood

Another recipe that totally intrigued me and will have to make when I have time to cook again. This one is also from Doctorandmama, who swiped it from Moosewood.

2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles
1 teaspoon pressed garlic cloves
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-inch cubes)
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup apple or apricot juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 chopped tomatoes
1 ½-2 cups chopped okra
½ cup natural peanut butter



1. Sauté the onions in the oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Stir in the cayenne and garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes.
3. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes and sauté, covered for a few minutes.
4. Mix in the juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes.
5. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
6. Add the okra and simmer for 5 minutes more.
7. Stir in the peanut butter, and simmer gently until ready to serve, stirring frequently. Add more juice or water if the stew is too thick.
8. Serve over rice, and wash it down with ginger beer.

Potato Leek Soup

. . . the vegetarian version!

I haven't loved most veggie versions of this soup I've tried, since I think it's often the chicken broth that gives it the most flavor. But this one has lots of onion, shallot, garlic, and spices that make it extra yummy. It's swiped from Epicurious.com -- with revisions.

3 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks (white and light green parts only), sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 medium shallot, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 large russet potatoes, diced
4 1/2 cups veggie broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
milk or cream
garnish: yogurt, grated cheddar, or chives (chopped)

Heat butter (or a mixture of butter and olive oil, if you're feeling healthy) in a large saucepan. Add leeks, shallot, garlic, and onion, and saute for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until they begin to soften, but not brown, about another 10 minutes. Add broth, bay lead, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until potatoes are soft -- about 30 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes, then stir in the lemon juice. Transfer to a blender (or use one of those nifty immersion blenders, if you've got one!) and puree in batches until it's smooth. Return to saucepan and heat, adding milk or cream until it's reached the desired consistency. Garnish with yogurt, chives, or grated cheddar cheese. Delicious served with some crusty bread :)

Grown-Up Mac-and-Cheese-and-Greens Casserole

Welllll, we're not really casserole folks. But we have been on a comfort food kick and a use-up-the-leftovers-before-they-go-bad kick...and I think perhaps we struck genius with this one. So yummy!

1/2 pound noodles, cooked (we used whole wheat spaghetti!)
3 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 large head broccoli, chopped
1/2 head escarole, chopped roughly
3 eggs
2 C low fat cottage cheese
1 C low fat sour cream
4-6 oz grated cheese (we used cheddar and parmesan)
1 1/2 C bread crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 13" pan. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft and fragrant. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Toss in broccoli and escarole and saute another couple of minutes until broccoli is bright green and escarole has wilted.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1 C of the bread crumbs, about 2/3 of your grated cheese, and some salt and pepper. Add in the sauteed vegetables and the cooked noodles and toss everything together. Slide everything into your buttered pan and distribute noodles and vegetables evenly, pressing everything down into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 C bread crumbs and reserved grated cheese across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the casserole has set and the top is nice and browned.

Enjoy with a nice simple green salad!

Squash and Lentil Soup

Mmmmmmmmm, this soup smells like fall. And tastes like fall. And will make you feel all warm and toasty on a chilly day.

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch chunk ginger root, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
about 3 C veggie broth
about 2 C water
1 1/4 C red lentils, rinsed
1 medium sized squash (I used a kabocha!)
salt and pepper, to taste
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Quarter and deseed your squash. Arrange squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, heat several TBSP olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add onion and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant. Add ginger and cumin and saute for another minute or two. Add veggie broth, water, and lentils - I wasn't precise with my fluid measurements so play it by ear. You might start with a bit less and then add some more later in the cooking process as the liquid evaporates. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes partially covered.

When squash is tender, carefully slice off and discard skins. Cube squash and add to soup. Cook over low heat for another twenty minutes. Using a potato masher, gently mash squash until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve hot, topped with a dollop of sour cream and garnished with more cilantro and toasted whole wheat bread.

Cheesy Summer Squash Pancakes

Here is a kid and boyfriend-friendly recipe to help you use up your summer squash surplus. Just like potato pancakes...crispy and fried and oh-so-yummy!

3 good sized summer squash, grated
coarse sea salt
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
3/4 C cottage cheese
1/2 C cream cheese
1/2 C flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C corn meal (I used a mixture of coarse and fine ground)
1 TBSP fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
plenty fresh black pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Mix grated squash and sea salt and place in a colander for an hour or so - leave the colander either in the sink or over another bowl because the salt will pull water out of the squash. Squeeze the squash to get any extra water out.

Mix squash with remaining ingredients, using your fingers to squish everything together and disperse the cream cheese evenly through the batter. If your batter feels too wet feel free to add a little more flour or cornmeal to get a drier consistency.

Heat a frying pan with about 1/2 an inch of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, form squash batter into patties and carefully drop into hot oil. Fry for about three minutes on each side, or until pancakes are golden brown!

We served ours hot, topped with sauteed garlic scapes. Yummy! I bet they would also be delicious topped with sour cream or yogurt...

PS - We used cream cheese and cottage cheese because that's what we had in the house, but I imagine ANY cheese could be used for a variety of delicious flavors! Go get creative!

Lemon-Caper Veggie Saute

I’ve officially discovered a new favorite ingredient: capers! (Thanks to Martha, for randomly having them in her fridge when I came over with a bag full o'random veggies and no plan for how to cook them). They give this really simple combination of ingredients an extra little salty kick to make an easy, tasty pasta dish.

Olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 small onion
1 cup eggplant, cut into cubes
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch of spinach
Juice from 1 lemon
About 1 tbs capers, or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan; add the garlic and onion and sauté for several minutes over low heat, until they start to turn golden brown. Add the eggplant and sauté until soft, adding a little water or extra olive oil if needed. Add the capers towards the end, allowing them to cook with the eggplant for a few minutes. Toss in the tomatoes and spinach, and cook till the greens are wilted.. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, and squeeze the juice from the lemon over the whole thing.

Serve over whole wheat pasta. It would probably be fabulous with some fresh parmesan grated over the top :).

spinach curry . . . ish.

Also known as my new favorite way to cook greens. (Except maybe Priya's spinach-tomato combination with coconut oil and some other yummy ingredients I can't remember . . . Priya, can you post that, pretty please?)

Anyway, this recipe is deceptively simple, but comes out chock full o'flavor. And it's super-easy . . . Auntie calls it "shortcut curry" :). Unfortunately, I've got no real measurements . . . back to guesstimates for this one!

1 tsp urad dal (little yellow lentils)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
chopped onion -- maybe 2 tbs or so
minced garlic - 1-2 tsp
two or three fresh green chilis, sliced in half, lengthwise
a bunch of spinach (though I bet it would be awesome with kale or collards as well)

Heat about 2 tbs oil in a pan; add the dal, mustard seeds, and cumin and cook for about 30 seconds. Toss in the onion and garlic, adding more oil if needed; fry till they're soft and transluscent. Add the chilis, and fry for about 30 seconds. Toss in the spinach, adding a bit of water if needed. Cook till the leaves are at the desired consistency.

Anshuman's "Bachelor's Raita"

So named because it’s super-easy and doesn’t have too many ingredients. And yet – so yummy! All these measurements are giant guesstimates, though, so my first few attempts at this at home could be interesting . . .

Approximately 1 ½ cups plain yogurt
1 small red onion, chopped fairly small
About 1 ½ tbs cumin seeds
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of sugar
Sprinkle of chili powder

Whisk a little bit of water into the yogurt to thin it out. It should pour easily by the time you’re done, but not be too watery.

Heat a nonstick pan over a medium flame; do not add oil. Instead, dry-roast the onion and the cumin until they’re golden and smell yummy. Add this to the yogurt along with the salt, sugar, and chili, and stir everything together.

Deeelicious – especially with the paratha recipe I’m about to post!